Social Media Inspires

OKP

Case Study: Social Media Inspires New Ideas

As the worlds of social media and fundraising collide, successful fundraising campaigns and exciting new ideas are no longer trapped behind closed doors. While this can provide inspiration to fundraisers looking to expand their horizons, replicating another organisations success, won’t necessarily produce the same results.

Before implementing any new idea you need to carefully consider if it will work within the context of your organisation, how it will be perceived by both internal and internal stakeholders, and whether you have the resources to implement it. At OKP we always recommend making a small investment in a feasibility study before making a large investment in a new idea. We also encourage our clients to take an idea to the next level, putting their own stamp on it building upon past success. A perfect example of this is Amnesty International and their use of the selfie.

Inspired by the “No Makeup Selfie” craze driving donations to breast cancer charities, Amnesty International has expanded on the idea to support their street fundraising program.The idea is simple: when a street fundraiser signs up a new supporter, they ask them if they want their photo taken as well. The follow up email sent out includes a link to this photo, which the supporter can then share on Facebook. Nothing else about the recruitment or engagement process was changed, but the results were quite remarkable.

Some of the significant stats among those who had their photo taken include:

A no-show rate on the first donation of 7% (down from 9%)

A 1 year retention rate of 53% (up from 48%)

An average of 8 clicks through to the Amnesty website for each photo shared

Amnesty International has managed to both improve on a good idea and make it work for them. They have also shown that it is possible with some strategic consideration to turn a “craze” into a long-term method of engagement.